North Country School Brings Learning into the 21st Century with Google Chromebooks for Education

Chromebooks brought our school up-to-date and created a cultural shift in how we use technology.

Joel Lowsky, director of information technology

Challenge

Until a few years ago, because of a small budget, North Country School had to contend with outdated technology. The administrators were eager to modernize and to encourage students and faculty to collaborate on projects. They sought a cost-efficient solution--one that could be used daily, with almost no maintenance--and they wanted to offer Web access in classrooms.

Solution

In 2011, North Country School purchased a number of Google Chromebooks for Education, then increased the number the following year to 40 devices (three for every four students). The effect was transformative, and very little instruction was needed. Now students can collaborate easily on projects using Google Apps for Education, a suite of Web-based productivity tools, and can work in a shared Google Doc at the same time. Teachers are more involved in students’ projects throughout the entire process--proofreading work, providing comments, and more.